News That is Joyful 12/15/24

News That is Joyful

Is 12:2-6; Luke 3:7-18

Is 12:2-6

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Luke 3:7-18

John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.

Prayer – God of hope, peace and joy – we come this morning and John continues to preach Good News that sometimes sounds like harsh news, maybe even judgmental news. Remind us that when we go down certain paths of life that don’t always reflect the kingdom, we need reminders, we need prophets to call us out, even if it makes us uncomfortable. And when we attend to that harsh news, and make a change, that news becomes joyful as the world becomes more heavenly and not just a place to live – help us and sustain us toward a world of joy, peace and hope – amen.

I was interested to see a brief segment on the Today Show about what values we want to teach our kids. Honesty topped the charts (43%), followed by kindness (29%), a strong work ethic (11%) and a variety of others. What struck me as interesting about this survey was that it lines up pretty closely with John the Baptist’s preaching in this Sunday’s passage from Luke.

This is, as you’ll recall, the second Sunday in which we are spending time with John. Last week, Luke introduced us to the adult John the Baptist, taking pains to anchor John’s preaching in the historical context of the day. We noticed that Luke was audacious enough to believe that the events and people he described – last week John’s ministry, this week John’s message, next week the meeting of Elizabeth and Mary – were as important on the stage of world history as were any of the mighty rulers Luke names.

This week covers the second half of Luke’s account of John’s ministry and we discover that, according to Luke, John is a fairly “old school” preacher who can’t resist a three-point sermon. The first point is eschatological warning of the coming end of time. The second revolves around ethical exhortation, instructing hearers how to prepare for this end. And the third point is the announcement and expectation of the coming messiah.

What’s striking about these points is that, put along side the drama of the eschatological warning and messianic expectation, John’s ethical exhortation seems rather mild, even a bit lame. I mean, in response to the crowd’s understandable reaction to John’s warning — asking the prophet “What shall we do?” — John basically tells them that they out to be honest (“Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you”), be kind (“Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise”) and to work hard (“Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”).

Come on, John, I’m tempted to ask, is that really all? This is pretty much what we learned in kindergarten. Is this really all it takes to avoid God’s judgment and enter into paradise?

Apparently, according to John, the answer is, Yes!

Or more accurately, perhaps it’s more that everything – from warning and expectation to ethical exhortation – looks different in light of the coming Christ. Jesus’ coming, John implies, affects every dimension of our lives, including how we regard each other and our ethical obligations to one another and the world. The kingdom, that is, doesn’t show up only in grand actions or heroic deeds. Rather, in the simple acts of sharing what we have, being honest with each other, and working hard and resisting the urge to be bullies, we are helping to usher in the kingdom that Jesus will soon announce.

Okay, look, I know that we don’t bring the kingdom; God does. But it seems like one of the chief ways through which we can witness to God’s coming kingdom is to actually live like it’s here, like we believe it’s really coming, like we think it actually matters.

Which means that we have opportunities all around us to be the ordinary saints John calls us to be. And lest we think our everyday actions of being honest, kind, and hardworking don’t matter, ask yourself this: What would it look like if the political candidates running for any and every office acted this way? What about our community leaders and business people? Or our law enforcement officers? I suspect our world would work a whole lot better.

But let’s not stop there. Let’s get more personal: What would it look like if we went out from church looking for opportunities to be honest, kind, and hardworking? What if we determined to seek out such opportunities because we’ve heard that extraordinary acts of grace are within the reach of ordinary people. What if we believed – and acted on the belief – that being honest, kind, and hardworking in a culture that is impatient, immature, and fearful really makes a difference. Would the kingdom of God look different than it does now?

Keep in mind where we’re at. Not just two weeks shy of Christmas, but living in a nation and world constantly afraid that the next terrorist crime or random act of violence will happen around our street corner. And because of this fear we change how we live and, at times, even risk forgetting who we are. And when we do that, the terrorists win. So, what might happen if we pledged that in light of the dangerous world we live in such a way we intended to redouble our efforts to be honest, kind, and hardworking, meeting the needs of those around us, reaching out to help those who struggle, and in all these ways witness to our confidence that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection make a difference? I think what would happen is that we would not only have a demonstrably better world but also a more vibrant church, one animated by John’s conviction that “all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” Perhaps even a joyful world rather than a fearful one.

I know all this can seem like small potatoes when the whole world feels at times like it’s falling apart. But I think that’s part of John’s message – and Jesus’ witness – that precisely because God has promised to redeem all creation in due time, we are free – here and now – to tend the little corner of the world in which we find ourselves. There are, according to John and Jesus, no small gestures, but rather varied – and contagious! – acts of both random and intentional kindness and honesty that really do make a difference in the world, particularly when caught up in the faith that in Jesus, God has drawn near to shower us – all of us – with the good news of grace, mercy, and redemption. That kind of news is joyful – thanks be to God – amen.